THE GREAT LAMA TEMPLE.

Waikato Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 2218, 25 September 1886, Page 1 (Supplement)

THE GREAT LAMA TEMPLE.

Onb of our most interesting expeditions in Pekin was to visit the Yung-ko kung, which is a very fine old Lama temple, just within the wall at the north-eastern corner of the Tartar city. It contains . about 1300 monks, of all ages, down to small boys six years old, under the headship of a Lama, who assumes the title of the " Living Buddha." These monks .ire Mangold Tartars of a very bad type, dirty and greedy of gain, and, moreover, j are known to be grossly immoral. They are generally offensively iusolcnt to all foreigners, many of whom have vainly endeavoured to obtain access to the monastery, even the silver key, which ia usually so powerful in China, often failing to unlock the inhospitable gates. That I had the privilege of entrance was soMy duo to the personal influence of Dr Dudgeon, whose medical skill has happily proved so beneficial to the " Living Buddha " and several of the piiests as to ( insure him a welcome fioin these. At last, ' after wearisome expostulation and altercation, ever}' door »vas tin own open tons ] but the priest in charge of each carefully J locked it after us, lest we should a\ old j giving him an individual tip or Lum-tha — , i.e., present— as it is here called. Every corner of the gieat building is full of interest, from the brilliant yellow china tiles of the roof to the yellow carpet in the ttmple. Conspicuous amongst these idols is Kwang-ti, who A\as a distinguished warrior at the beginning of the ! Christian era, and who, about ciyht him- ( dred years later, was deified as the God ! of War, and state temple*? were erected in I his honour in every cicy of the Empire. Kwang-ti appealed in 1855 during the Tar-ping rebellion, to aid the imperial troops near Nankin, for which kind in- j terposition Hein-feng, the reigning Em- i peror (whose honour-conferring power \ extends to the spirit world), promoted him to an equal rank with Confucius ! So here we find him reverenced alike by Taoui3ts and Buddhists. This is by no ' means a unique instance of the imperial favour being thu3 shown to (doubtless appreciative) spirits. In 172,5 the Emperor Yung Ching bestowed clivers honours and new titles on the four great i dragons who dwell in the four seaa. The Peking G.uette for July 28, ISGI, published the petition of the buectorGoneral of grain transport, prating the Emperor to icw.ird the god Kwang ti foi j his interposition on March 11, whereby J two cities were sived from the labels. He states that such was the anxiety evidenced by this guardian god, th.it his worshippers saw the perspiration trickle from his image in the temple. The Empeiorduly acknowledged these good services, and desired that a tablet should be erected in memory thereof. All the altar vases in this Yung ko-kuug temple are of the finest Peking enamel — vases, candlesticks and incense burners — from which filmy clouds of fragrant incense float upward to a ceiling panneled with green and gold. Fine large scroll painti ings tempted me to hugci at every turn, and the walls are encrusted with thouI sands of small porcelain images of Buddha. In the main temple, which is called the Foo-koo, or Hall of Buddha, stands a cyclopean image of Matreya, the Buddha of Futurity. It is 70 feet in height, and is said to be carved I from one solid block of wood, but it is coloured to look like bion/.e. Ascending a long flight ot steps we reached a gallery running round the temple about the level of his shoulders. 1 found that this gallery led into two circular buildings, one on each side, constructed for the support ot two immense rotating cylindeis, about 70 ft et in height, full of niches, each niche containing the image of a Buddhist s lint. They are rickety old things, and thickly coated over with dust, but on cut tain days worshippers comic and stick on strips of paper bearing prayers. To turn these cylindeis is apparently an act of homage to the whole saintly family, and enlibts the goodwill of the whole lot. SomeLuu monasteries deal thus with tlu ir I'2S stictud books and 220 volumes ot commentaiy. Placing them in a huge c\ limit ical bookcase, which they tin n bodily to save the tiouble of tni ning indi\ulunlpiv,e> — the undei^ljndin^ lui\ ing apparently smdl play in either case. It was neatly 0 a.m. ere we reached the Lama temple, so that we were too late to see the gi.uid morning sur\ ice, as that commences at -A a.m., w lien upwarls of 10!) mats are spiead in the temple, on each of whi -h kneel ten of the subordinate La'Mi>, all wealing,' their yellow robes, an<! i t of classical helmet of yellow fi!t wilhaveiy high crest, like that woi'i "\ B'ltanma. They possess red felt boot',, but can only enter the temple bu looted. The (ire it Lama wears a \ i.ib t coloured robe and a yellow mitre. H*; bear*, a soitof c; osier and oc cupits a gilded tin one befoie the altar; a cushion is provided for him to kneel upon. The whole temple i& m darkness or dim twilight, save the altar, winch is abla/e with many tnpeis. When the great copper gong sounds its summon* to worship they chant litanies in monotone, one of the piie.st-> reading pra\ei^ fiom a silken scroll, and all joining in a low iiiUinmr, while clouds ot incense fill the temple A pcculuuty ot this chant is tli.it while a certain number of the bietlnen recite the words, Ihe otheist,m^ a continuous deep bass ace >mp immeut Again, the gong marks the change from prayer to sacred chants, and afti r these comes a tenible din of in=>tiurnental music, a clattt r of gonio, btll-., conch Bhells, tambourines, ami manner ot earaplitling abominations. I'lien follows a silence which may bo felt, so utter i-, the stillness and so intense the lelief.— (Jentleman'* Miigr./ine.

"\\il\l! women o\ci wm Ivt-il •' Fud^p ! Think of tin 1 uii'U ' ' Ah. but \<m know the oLi lym^, " W viii.m ~ u'oik i- ne\ i»i diwit I " 1 k>i<>\\ it .mil tli.it'h the le.iMin *>he nii^liln'L to coiuplani ; for a nuui Ins to il<> In-, \\oik or Id^l* his job !'' Hr (|<-*tmtr) : " A fair h.uul, Juhi\ a f nr hand, but v<>u know, m thoso tleys thfV in.iko tin unixt pi'it'-ct countoiffits nut of w,i\ or lnaiblr' Aieynn suie this is not one .'" Sim (archly) : " WVII it \on think it's countoifoil, hadn t you better nnj^ it ".' '